Elegies for Pets in the Abbasid Period: Elegy for

Allam, Farg Ahmed Al-Rifai Salem

doi:10.21608/qarts.2023.192532.1616

Elegies for Pets in the Abbasid Period: Elegy for "the Cat" as A Case Study

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Farg Ahmed Al-Rifai Salem Allam

Lecturer in the Arabic Language Department - Faculty of Arts - New Valley University

10.21608/qarts.2023.192532.1616

Abstract

This research analyses the elegy for cats in the Abbasid period. It begins by reflecting on the origin of the relationship between man and animal from cultural, psychological and literary perspectives, to lay the foundation to understand the nature of the connection that binds man to animals, why it exists and its characteristics and strengths- that was manifested sometimes in the form of animal reverence.
Afterwards, the research refers to the presence of animals in Arabic poetry as an introduction to understanding the impact of the civilizational development brought about by the entry of the foreign element, especially the Persian and the Rumi, into Arab society at the time which led to an apparent shift in the human-animal relationship in the Abbasid period. This shift is evident as the circle of animals that entered the stage of Arab interest expanded in terms of quantity and quality, and animal elegy emerged as a trace of that keen interest. As a result, elegy abounded, and people sought elegy to such an extent that some poets became known for their animal elegy.
Finally, the research examines the different types of animal elegy in this period, highlighting the most important animal elegy poets and their texts related to the cat’s elegy. In addition, it shows the most important features of those diverse poems, especially texts that manifest human affection towards animals, and the extent of the animal and human overlap in terms of behaviour and affection.

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